How to manufacture a bronze sculpture

The “lost wax” is the only technique used by the craftsmen of our foundry of art to create our bronze statues.

The lost wax:

Proceeded of moulding starting from an original sculpture out of wax to which one welds by the point of the called conical elements jets and the filaments called vents, cones and filaments are also out of wax. The unit is then covered with a refractory cement while taking care to let emerge the base of the cones. After solidification of the coating, the wax will be evacuated by heat, leaving a hollow which will be filled via the jets. The vents allow at the same time the evacuation of the air and a good distribution of the matter in the details of the mould. This mould must then be destroyed by mechanical or chemical way to recover the specimen carried out. This one will have to then be removed from the traces of the jets and the vents. This technique is used for the realization of single parts out of glass or metal. It is however possible there to formerly carry out several waxes starting from original wax by using a flexible silicone and gelatin mould today. This technique is also used in industry for obtaining parts of high degree of accuracy.

Stages of the process:

• Sculpture by the moulist analyzes
• Cut out (possible) sculpture to facilitate obtaining the model
• Mould of the parts of the sculpture with an elastomer (we obtain an elastomer mould of two parts)
• Release from the mould of elastomer
• Assembly of the two parts of the mould obtained
• Run wax in the mould
• Makes an attempt solidification of wax either in mass (whole part) or in thickness (several millimetres of solidified then re-emptying)
• Assembly of the various parts out of wax of the model
• Addition of the system of filling and food, addition of the vents
• Coating of the model of a refractory layer, obtaining the mould
• Stoving of the mould, the wax melts and is recovered
• Run mould
• Cleaning of the part
• Trimming
• Chiselling of the part
• Polishing

2 - manufacture of a silicone mould.

3 - The mould is used to make wax an approximate model of the original.

4 - Resumption of the details of the wax model.

5 - The wax model is immersed in liquid clay to create a mussel around the ceramics wax part.

6 - Bronze is heated with 2000° to be versed in the ceramics mould which will replace the wax which will leave the place to bronze.

7 - After cooling, the ceramics mould is broken, in order to release the bronze statue.

8 - The bronze statue passes to the completion, the chiselling of completion, polishing, then the patina, last stage.

9 - The bronze statue finished.